History

St. Louis County Heritage & Arts Center’s Historic Union Depot
FROM DEPOT TO CULTURAL CENTER IN 13 YEARS
By Shirley Bergum

(Chapter 24 from
The Will and the Way, published by Manley Goldfine and Donn Larson,
2004)

It was 1964 and the Junior League of Duluth was
looking for a new project. My husband (Robert Bergum) suggested we find a use
for the vacant Soo Line Depot, a stately old terminal that stood proudly on the
site now occupied by the Gateway Tower apartment building on Sixth Avenue
West.

The league required a formal request for such
an undertaking, so I contacted my friend at the St. Louis County Historical
Society and asked for such a request. When the response came from their board
of directors, it asked the Junior League to “conduct a feasibility study on the
use of the Soo Line Depot for some educational or cultural purpose.” At that
time, I was on the board of the A.M. Chisholm Children’s Museum and also
volunteering at the St. Louis County Historical Society, so I was well aware of
the limitations they were both experiencing due to cramped quarters. The idea
of a join museum seemed natural. I asked both boards to cooperate. They agreed,
but refused to say yes. They would study and consider it.

In the spring of 1966, the brand new State Arts
Council gave the Junior League a grant to pay for half of the study. This was
the first grant the Arts Council gave to northern Minnesota and the first grant
to our project.

By the time the study was completed, the Art
Institute and the Duluth Playhouse (formerly the Little Theatre) had been added
to the plans. It was apparent that the Soo Line Depot was not large enough. At
about that time, the chateauesque French Norman Union Depot – designed by
Peabody & Stearns and completed in 1893 for about $600,000 – was vacated.
The Union Depot on Michigan Street was larger and more architecturally
significant, so we picked up our plans, changed buildings and started all over.
A big advantage to this location was that we could have active trackage for a
railroad museum. Returning to the word “cultural” used in the original request,
plans continued to grow as did the committee which started with five Junior
League members and a $25 budget and expanded to about 20 members including
representatives of the involved organizations, civic groups, as well as
civically minded citizens who operated under the name Interim Cultural
Center Committee (ICCC). Next, the Civic Ballet and the Duluth Superior
Symphony Orchestra joined us, and architectural studies started in earnest.

Negotiations with the Northern Pacific Railroad
started in 1968, but hit a snag when they broke off all talks because they were
involved in a merger with Burlington Railroad
(CB&Q*). However, we kept planning with faith in the future. From 1964 on,
I met with civic leaders and organizations throughout the area “selling” the
concept of a cultural center in the heart of Duluth. Many listened to me, but
some said it would never work, which only made Jean Walker (my good right arm)
and me more determined than ever. During this delayed and somewhat discouraging
period, Jean and I traveled to five different cultural and art centers,
gleaning ideas and recommendations for ours until talks resumed with the newly
formed Burlington Northern.

In 1969, the ICCC incorporated under the name
Area Cultural Center Corporation (ACCC) and signed an option to purchase the
property in June of 1970. We succeeded in getting the building designated a
National Historic Landmark and began the very difficult job of drawing up
bylaws.

This proved to be a lesson in patience and
diplomacy in order to convince the organizations they could live together
without losing their autonomy, and yes, the large areas could indeed by shared.
One more problem arose: although the Union Depot was indeed larger than the Soo
Line, it was not adequate to house all our plans for the seven organizations
involved. Therefore, new plans were drawn for an addition to be built on the
western side of the building to house the Duluth Playhouse, Civic Ballet and an
auditorium to seat about 300 people.

The ACCC exercised its option in November 1971,
and agreed to pay the Burlington Northern, Inc. $87,500 for the old depot and a
400-foot strip of land (which included railroad tracks and two canopies).
Fundraising began in earnest. At this time, the Railroad Museum, which had been
considered part of the historical exhibits, became a separate organization
under the name Lake Superior Museum of Transportation and Industry and work on
the track was started. (Today it is one of the largest railroad museums in the
United States with active trackage.) This area was the first completed because
of a grant from the Economic Development Authority, which required that the
grant cover a complete project. While large enough to complete the Rail Museum
area, it would not pay for renovation of the Depot.

Although the “official” opening is listed as
1977, by 1975 engines and cars were moved into the Rail Museum and both the
Chisholm and Historical Society Museums and offices were moved in and
programming in the Great Hall and lower level were taking place. The Art
Institute had displays on the balcony and was providing classes. Hammers and
saws resounded through the building at what is known as Depot Square, an area
on two sides of the Rail Museum depicting life at the turn of the century in
Duluth, including an ice cream parlor, theater front, doctor’s office, bank,
and general store, utilizing a lot of exhibit items from the museums.

*Chicago Burlington and
Quincy, the old official name of the Burlington.

The musical “Cabaret” opened the new Playhouse
year in the new auditorium in the spring of 1977.**

Ownership of the Depot and adjacent property
was transferred to St. Louis County and the name changed from Union Depot
Center to St. Louis County Heritage & Arts Center. With completion
of construction, it was time to look forward. Elizabeth Adams (John) stepped
forward to organize the Depot Foundation. In her words: “Now that we have the
center, we need to have a foundation to protect it.” She set out to raise $1
million and succeeded. Today, the Depot Foundation has an endowment of over $5
million to protect the Depot and assist the organizations housed there.

Our dream for the center was to offer something
for everyone through a variety of programs and displays. It never ceased to
amaze me how interest in our cultural center continued to grow over all the
long years of planning. Our Depot and our success story were featured at a
National Symposium on “Reusing Railroad Stations” held in Indianapolis in 1974,
which I attended as a panelist. It was an exhilarating experience. I was one of
four participants who had been through the launching process; we were
introduced as a you-can-do-it-too-if-you-work-hard foursome.

Through the years, volunteers were always
there. Junior League members with crowbars and station wagons tore out pieces
of the Lyceum Theatre before it was demolished (some were used by the Depot,
some not). The company razing the building at my request saved the large stone
comedy and tragedy masks from the front, which now adorn the entrance to our
auditorium. To save money where we could, board members of the organizations
with spouses and friends spent two days tearing out the false ceiling and
partitions added through the years and the National Guard came with trucks and
hauled away the debris while food was brought in by local businesses. Attorneys
and architects donated time and grants came from the Economic Development
Authority, Upper Great Lakes Regional Commission, Arts & Humanities,
Historical Restoration and area businesses and foundations.

Today, the St. Louis County Heritage & Arts
Center is home to the Lake Superior Railroad Museum & the North Shore
Scenic Railroad, the Duluth Playhouse, the Duluth Children’s Museum, the Duluth
Superior Symphony Orchestra, the Duluth Art Institute and the St. Louis County
Historical Society.

*The Duluth Playhouse
celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2003. It is the oldest continuously
operating community theatre in Minnesota

Through the years, I served as chairman of the
Junior League feasibility study with Jean Walker (Donald), Polly Harlow (Fred),
Sue McDonald (Blake), Julia Marshall and Dorothy Congdon (Robert). With the
ICCC, I was co-chairman with William Stephenson Sr., Donald Shank, Frank Young
and William O’Brien were instrumental in negotiations to acquire the property.
The ACCC changed presidents every two years. Frank Young, Robert Rich, Eugene
Lambert and Sylvester Laskin served in this capacity. I was secretary those
eight years. Next was raising money. I wrote many of the grant applications
under the instruction from Dr. Robert Heller, Robert Rich and Jack Arnold and
with the help of William Moser. When the Depot opened, I was executive
secretary and administrative assistant.

I must add that literally hundreds of
Duluthians helped over the years through boards and committees to make the
center a reality. Many changes have taken place, but the initial dream stays
the same. The organizations continue to strive to live together peacefully and
cooperatively.

I am grateful to have had the opportunity to
play a role over 13 years to work on this project and to see it evolve into the
true center of history and culture it is today and I am thankful for all those
who are continuing to help it adapt, survive and grow.

Depot Foundation History

On March 29, 1979 The Depot Foundation was
established as a charitable, non-profit organization incorporated in the State
of Minnesota with a purpose to receive, invest and disburse funds on behalf of
the arts and heritage of the Duluth community and greater surrounding area
through the efforts of Dorothy Congdon, Karen Fillenworth, John C. Hunner,
Arthur C. Josephs, Sylvester Laskin, Caroline Marshall, Julia Marshall, Donald
B. Shank and Donald Wirtanen. Elected President: Don Wirtanen, Vice President:
Arthur Josephs, Secretary: Karen Fillenworth, and Treasurer: Robert Fischer.
The Foundation announced that an endowment was being created with income
dedicated primarily to the St. Louis County heritage and Arts Center and the
member organizations: the Duluth Art Institute, the Duluth Ballet, the Duluth
Playhouse, the A. M. Chisholm Museum, the St. Louis County Historical Society,
the Duluth-Superior Symphony, Matinee Musicale and the Lake Superior Museum of
Transportation.

The Prindle/Wood Family Memorial Endowment was
established by Cornelius A. Wood in 1996 to endow scientific, literary,
artistic, cultural and education purposes of the Depot Foundation.

The Julia Newell Marshall Youth Art Fund was
established by Marshall family representatives Patricia Lenz and Michael
Spencer in 1999. This fund benefits youth art education at the Duluth Art
Institute.

The Depot Foundation’s first annual Arts and
Culture Awards were presented in 2000. These awards recognize outstanding
accomplishments in the areas of initiative, community enrichment and lifetime
achievement. The Circle of Friends Celebration began in 2001. Each year this
event honors Depot Foundation members and the recipients of the Arts and
Culture Awards.